Antifriction-bearing for water-wheels.



PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

E. W. 0. EEHMENELAU. ANTIEEIGTION BEARING EUR WATER WHEELS APPLICATON FILED 0CT.3. 1903.

No MODEL.

UNITEDv f STATES Patent-ea march s, 1904.

"PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH W. o. EEIIMENKLAU, OE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB" OE ONE-HALE To JAS. E. WILLIAMSON, OE MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA..

ANTIFRICTIONBEARI NG FOR WATER-l-WH EELS,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 754,3B8,dated March 8, 1904.

Application led October 3,

To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Y Be it known that I, RUDOLPH W. O. REHMEN- KLAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Antifriction- Bearings for Water-Wheels; and I do hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its especial object to provide an improved bearing for upright water-wheels of the turbine type; and to this end it consists of thenovel devices and com-y binations of devices hereinafter described, and deiined in the claims. As is a well-known fact to all persons familiar with the subject the bearings or steps of water-wheels of this type are not only subject to the weight of the waterwheel and its shaft, but are also subject'to the weight of the column of water which presses upon the wheel. This aggregate weight, where the head of the water is high, is very great. The most satisfactory construction hitherto designed as abearing for water-wheels of the above character and the construction which is now almost universally employed'consists in providing the bearing-toe of the wheel with a concave, usually conical, bearing-surface and providing the base of support for the wheely or the fixed member of the bearing with a' bearing block or step constructed usually of lignum-vitae wood and having at its upper end a conical orconvex bearing-surface that its the concave toe vof the wheel. It is a wellknown fact that a very large part, estimated at twenty-live per cent., of the actual power of the water on the wheel is lost inovercoming the friction between the conical bearings of the wheel-toe and the wooden step.

' Where the available water-supply is limited and increased power is desired to increase the capacity of amill and where economy in the use of water is an important item, water- 4wheels of the, highest possible eiiiciency are demanded. Hence a great many mills hitherto equipped with upright turbines have had sub-y stituted therefor at great expense what are known Vas horizontal-twin turbines. v

190s. serai No. 175,541. (No nieder) I My invention has for its particular object to provide an antifrictiombearing for upright turbines of this type may Joje given at least as high eiiciency as turbines of the so-called type, to provide an antifriction-bearing which may be very quickly and at a smallcost applied to upright turbines as they are found in general use, and to so mount the turbine or water-4 wheel that it will under normal conditions run on its antifriction-bearing, but in case of disablement of said antifriction-bearing may continue to run on its Iusual or' other suitable frictional bearin or step.

The invention I pplied as a bearing to an upright turbine is illustrated in the accompanying drawingstwhereinsection, but with some parts shown in full. Fig. 2 is a detail in plan showing a portion of the supporting-spider and showing'y certain a detail showing the improved vbearing' slectioned on the line fr ws of Fig. 2.

out the several views. l The wheel-case 1 is rigidly secured to a sup'-v porting-spider 2, having a centrally-located hub 3; The case 1 and spider 2 are, as shown, of standard construction and will vbe anchored in the usual way. The lower end of the hub 3 is closed by a bearing-plate 4, which,l as shown,- is detachably secured thereto by screws 5. The water-wheel 6, which is also of standard.- construction, works, of course, within the case l, and its shaft 7 is formed at its lower end .aconical depression. i The construction sofar described is thatfof a Standard .upright water-wheel of the .tur-

struction a conical pointed step of lignumvitae orv similar wood would be .mounted'in' the hub o't the spider 2, being usually directly held byametallic 'thimbla In accordance with my. invention," however, innert@ theA liguum-aitstp or Geniaal-b "@Inmelf horizontal-twin-wheel type or any'other lf Like characters indicate like parts throughwith a sor-called bearing-toe 8, which toe is 'an expanded portionosaid shaft'forrnedwith bine type, and to complete this standard'cwwater-wheels of the turbine type whereby Figure l is a view principally in vertical l parts .ofthe improved bearing, and 3 is friction-bearing device, place the non-rotary member of said bearing within the hub of the spider 2, and interpose bearing-balls between the said two members of the antifrictionbearing.

Oi' the parts of the antifriction-bearing the numeral 9 indicates the cup-shaped metallic thimble, which fits within the hub of the spider 2 and is conveniently held against rotation by a set-screw 10. Another setscrew 11, which works through the bearing-plate 4, engages the bottom of the thimble 9 and serves to vertically adjust the same. On its upper edge the thimble 9 is formed with an annular groove 12, which constitutes a runway for a plurality of closely-position ed bear` ing-balls 13. The movable member 14 of the antifriction-bearing has a reduced portion that tits within the thimble 9 and has a projecting portion alording an annular shoulder 15, that rests upon the bearing-balls 13.

The numeral 16 indicates the lignum-vitae block, the upper'face which is conical to fit the conical depression of the bearing-toe 8 of the wheel. The lower face 4of the block 16 is fitted into a suitable seat 17, formed in the ,upper portion of nthe member 14;. This seat 17 is preferably formed slightly conical, so that under the weight of ,the load the block 16 will not be split, but will be crowded in amore compact .form by the two conical surfaces that .engage it.A The parts 14: and 16, if held against rotation, would correspond to the l. so-called step orqxed bearing of the stand` ard turbine construction.V ,i

In applying this .fantifrictionbearing all the available space between the members 9 and 14; is filled with lubricating-oiLaDd anannular packing 18 is placed between theadjacent peripheral portions of the said two members. Where the hub of the spider 2 is not Y deep-enough to overlap-with the projecting upper end portion `of the rotary member 14,

an annular hubextending flange or ring 19 p issecured to they said hub to hold the packing in positionand form a quite tight joint with the said member 14. i

The operation of the bearingabove described is as follows: The comparatively great frietion between the block 1G and the bearing-toe of the wheel will canse the members 14 and 16 to Vrotate with the wheel as if formed as part of its shaft 7, se that under normal conditions the wheel will run upon the antifriction-bearingwto wit, upon the bearing-balls 19. If, however, anything should happen,

'such as the breaking of a ball, and this should lock therotary member 14 against rotation or make the rotation thereof possible only under suchfriction as might weld or otherwise destroy the .running parts or' said antiirictiion-bcaring,A then the `wheel linds itself vfree to rotate on the conical block or step 1G, and -may in this case run under conditions just as favorable as those under which similar wheels mounted i'n the usual way are caused to run. Thedisablement of the ball-bearing device will instantly make itself apparent by the decreased power of the Water-Wheel, and repairs can then be made at an opportune time, but not necessarily immediately.

An antiiriction or ball bearing device ap plied as above described will be very seldom rendered inoperative; but it is of the greatest importance that the breakage or disablement of such antifriction-bearings will not disable the wheel or cause damage thereto.

By the application of the antifrictional bearing to the water-wheel I believe I am able to` effect a gain of approximately twentyve per cent. in the eiiiciency of a wheel over the .eiiiciency of the same wheeljmounted in the usual way, asabove described.

It will of course be understood from the foregoing description and statements made that the bearingabove described is capable of a large range of modilication'within the scope of my invention as herein set forth and as well as ball-bearings. In fact, the terms bearing-balls and bearing-rollers P might be herein used synonymously. By frictional bearing I of course mean bearings in which the engaging surfaces slide-frictionally oneover the. other as `distinguished from antifrictional bearings in .which rolling parts are interposed betwen'vthe surfaces which press upon them.

ters Patent of `the United States, lis as follows:

1. The combination with a body set to rotate on a vertical axis and having a concaved bearing-toe, of an antifrictionfbearing involv ing a rotary member, a non=rotay me'mber, and interposed bearing balls, said rotary bearing member having a depressed seat in its upper end, and a friction-bearing involving a wooden block fitting the depressed seat in the said rotary bearing member and Alitting the concave ,bearing-toe'of said rotary body, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a rotary body set to rotate on a vertical axis and having the concavcd bearing-toe 8, of the antii'riction-bearing involving the non-rotary thimble 9, the shoulder rotary member 1f1,havinga depressed scat in its upper end, and interposed bearingballs 9, and a frictiorvbearing involving the wooden block 16 formed conical both at its upper and lower portions, its upper conical portion fitting the concaved toe 8 oi' said rotary body, and its lower conical portion fitting the (.oncavedseat of said bearing member 14:; sub- 'stantiall as described.`

3. lhe combination with a body set to rotate on a vertical axis and having a concaved 1 OO What I claim, and desire to secure by Letbearing-toe, of an antifriction-bearing involv- In testimony whereof I aix my signature in in?i a rotary lienber, a lglolllrrotay rlember, presence of two witnesses.

an interpose earinga. s, an e rictionbearing involving a Wooden block fitting the 'RUDOLPH W' 0 REHMENK'LAU' 5 concave bearing-toe of said rotary body and Witnesses:

fitting the upper face of said rotary bearing .E. H. KELIHER, A

member,-.'substantially as described. F. /DL MERCHAN'LL 

